Academy’s Genius Swordmaster - Chapter 170

170. The Festival of Swords (13)

#170

The day has dawned. As always, the sky over Parzan was a pure blue. The strong wind that had been blowing all night had died down.

As soon as the participants finished breakfast, they moved on. Since the last base was located almost not far from the summit, I had to climb the mountain for a long time.

Again, at the head of the procession were the fast-paced Ronan and Navi Rose. Ronan opened his mouth with his eyes on the top of the holy ground.

“This mountaineering is now over.”

“There are still holy places left. Of course, based on the standard of the last base, it is within reach of the nose if it collapses.”

“It was true.”

“By the way, you came in quite late last night, what happened?”

Nabi Roze asked. Although he was taken aback by the quick question, Ronan tried to keep his face as if nothing had happened. After drinking with Zaifa all night, he returned to the base at dawn. Ronan, who quickly shook his head, hinted.

“Uh…I just came to get some fresh air. Someone asked me to teach you how to use a sword, so I taught you both.”

“Right. Did you enjoy your time with the Zaifa cat?”

“Well, it’s fine in its own way… Huh.”

Ronan sighed. Nabi Rose was still walking with a calm expression on her face. After swallowing a thick saliva, Ronan opened his mouth.

“…Did you know?”

“It is strange not to know. How many times do you think I competed with that cat?”

“sorry. I’m afraid you’ll hate me if I tell you.”

Ronan scratched his head as if he was embarrassed. I didn’t know if all Sword Saints had good intuition or if people with good intuition became Sword Saints. After being silent for a moment, Nabi Rose opened her mouth.

“done. It’s unavoidable that you want to be friends. But you’d better keep in mind what I said before.”

“What did you say? Ah, Jaifa is a dangerous bastard.”

“okay. Just remember, I’m not saying this simply because I hate that old man. Whoever caused the night of the canine. Hatred is like a plague, and it is easy to contagious.”

“Hatred?”

Ronan tilted his head at the words that sounded meaningful. Nabi Rose did not answer and walked past him. He said it was okay, but it seemed that he was unhappy about playing with Zaifa. It was a car that I was thinking about how to release it. A familiar voice came from behind.

“hey.”

At the same time, someone’s palm gently stroked his buttocks. It seemed that his hands were getting more and more sinister. Ronan turned his head with a look of contempt. As expected, Rin had her hands on her hips.

“Don’t you take your hand off?”

“I didn’t ask yesterday. do you like me that much?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I know everything. You were trying to look good for me.”

“So what?”

“It’s silly. I caught a hundred by myself in the test yesterday.”

Rin stabbed his side with her elbow as if it were quite normal. Ronan laughed. It seemed that it was true that even if it was absurd, laughter would come out.

“Did you eat something wrong?”

“Hehe. It was old-fashioned, but it wasn’t a bad appeal. I will positively consider your proposal.”

Lin smiled. It seemed clear that he had picked up something odd by himself this morning. She slapped Ronan’s butt and walked ahead. Schlieffen, who had come up to the side before he knew it, muttered as if passing by.

“I feel sorry for the student council president.”

“Why the fuck are you even doing this?”

They arrived at the last base in the afternoon. It was similar in size to the previous bases, but the facilities were the best. Seeing that several people were already wandering around, Ronan raised his eyebrows.

“It looks like they came first.”

Regardless of gender and age, the extraordinary momentum was indeed a survivor who had passed three tests. However, the overall atmosphere was starkly different from the participants from Gran Parzan.

He spoke very little and had no companions. He even gave the impression that he was intimidated by walking around with his face hardened. People who noticed the difference whispered.

“Why is the atmosphere like that?”

“I heard there’s a terrible guy. Is it because of him?”

“Shouldn’t you take away the blade? I think I will kill myself any minute.”

It was definitely strange. Ronan also shook his head in agreement.

Come to think of it, the person presumed to be the devil has not yet been seen. It would be nice to see his face before the match starts. Ronan, who was looking around, grabbed a man walking nearby and asked him a question.

“Hey. There’s a scary guy over there. Do you know where it is? A guy with white hair.”

“…why are you looking for that son of a bitch? I don’t know!”

The man waved his arms as if to shake them off. Ronan frowned at the unexpected nervous reaction. He suddenly noticed that other contestants from Aran Farjan were glaring at him.

“What are you looking at?”

Even if he suddenly pulled down his pants and peed, he wouldn’t look at me with those eyes. Seeing this, Russell muttered as if talking to himself.

“This should be worth a try…”

“Huh?”

Russell’s gaze was quickly scanning the participants of Aran Farzan. It sounded somewhat dubious. Ronan asked.

“What can I do?”

“hmm…? Ah, I meant that the contestants on the other side seemed to be able to pass the final exam without any problems. That way, you lose before you even fight.”

Russell replied with a smile. It was a somewhat awkward smile. Ronan said as if warning.

“Don’t be fooling around. It will all be over tomorrow anyway.”

“Is it possible? Come on, let’s go and unpack.”

Russell, lifting his backpack again, took the lead. The dumbfounded participants followed him one by one. Ronan moved his steps while feeling uncomfortable. As he said, it would all be over tomorrow.

****

It is evening. The expectation that he would not be able to mix a word with Aran Farjan’s side was missed. The woman sitting across from Ronan and having a conversation opened her eyes wide in admiration.

“Ah, so you were the one who caught a hundred in the third test. Some of the monsters were taken away from us, so I wondered what was going on. That’s great.”

“It was nothing. Who’s got the most catches over there?”

She was one of the participants from Aran Farjan. Throughout the restaurant, participants from both sides were naturally conversing. The other party was nowhere to be seen because Ronan came separately from training a little late.

The biggest contribution to improving the atmosphere was, of course, the fermented barley drink. Naturally, the seats were mixed and I naturally drank a glass or two of beer, so my words naturally opened up.

There were several lodgings, but there was only one restaurant, so the fact that the participants had to eat together and that the devil didn’t show up at the restaurant as if he was living only with dew was a big help. The woman who had been waiting for a while opened her mouth.

“…You know, that devil. It was the last order, and I slaughtered all the remaining 97.”

The woman twisted her mouth as if she was fed up. Seeing what the devil was doing, this lady also seemed to be a fairly stereotyped nickname. She gulped down the beer as if to wash away the horrible memories.

“What did he do that has so many people twisting their tails? That one looks pretty strong too.”

Ronan pointed to the necklace she was wearing. A piece in the shape of a blazing flame was inlaid with silver. It was the symbol of the Flame Knights, one of the ten most powerful military groups in the empire.

It was one of the few knights Ronan had known from his previous life, but just being a member of it was as if his skills had already been proven. I think I ate kalbab for a long time. The woman who was fiddling with the necklace smiled bitterly.

“Ahaha… I thought so too, but the class was different. You should have seen it for yourself.”

“Where are you now?”

“As soon as I arrived, I locked myself in the dorm and didn’t come out. It was always like that. It is rather fortunate.”

During the three trials, she described in detail what the devil had done. In the first test, all the rest of the participants’ wrists were amputated, and in the second flag fight, the opposing camp as well as allies in the way were killed under the pretext of an accident. Because he cleverly killed with a quicksword, he was not punished at all.

And in the third test, he said that he killed 97 monsters like he just heard, and the massacre was so terrible that he couldn’t open his eyes. Indeed, as Russell said, it was an act that was not lacking in being called a devil. The woman, who drank all the beer again, continued.

“Puha…One thing is clear, he’s related to Kroden, the explosive sword.”

“Croden? The guy who said he was the swordsman?”

Ronan raised his eyebrows at the sudden sound. I definitely remembered having a conversation with Schlieffen about it during the first exam.

An idiot who killed all the other contestants just because he didn’t get the choice of the holy sword. The culprit who made the identification process so thorough that it was annoying. The woman nodded.

“yes. Everyone who remembers him is convinced of that. Either a disciple or a hidden child. Without that, it is impossible to look like that. Even his monstrous skills are plausible and understandable.”

“What makes you look so similar?”

“Everything. The way he wields his sword, his cruelty, even his eating habits that only eat raw meat… If there’s one thing different, it’s his taciturn personality.”

In a voice full of anger, the woman unraveled the story related to the flood sword. Ronan giggled throughout the story. It wasn’t because it was fun, but rather because it was so outrageous.

He didn’t hesitate to burn down a rural village or rape a girl he liked because he was falsely accused of hiding a devil. He was also famous for his unusual diet, eating only raw meat dripping with blood, and rumors spread that he was a cannibal.

At this point, it seemed like he could understand why Nabirose, who caused Croden to fall from the position of the Sword Saint, was so revered. After the explanation, the woman clapped her hands and said.

“That’s right, I heard that Nabi Rose participated, is that true? Come to think of it, you said you were from Phileon Academy, right?”

“yes. Came up together.”

“Kyaa! Who are you actually? Will I be able to see you tomorrow? Since I was young, I was entrusted with the Knights, so I never had a chance to see him in person. Thanks to him, I have a sword…”

The gloomy expression of the woman instantly brightened. Seeing him change as if he had become a different person, I was quite envious. She was in the middle of praising Nabi Rose. Someone shouted from the corner of the restaurant.

“Riley, come on like that! You were in a meeting!”

“Ah, okay!”

The woman who answered nervously stood up from her seat. She smiled at Ronan and said in a voice full of regret.

“sorry. I think we should go soon.”

“it was fun.”

“Ahaha…Me too. I hope to see you at the Holy Land.”

The woman turned her back. Ronan turned his head in the direction she was walking. In that corner, five men and women were whispering. Judging by the unfamiliar faces, they seemed to be participants from Aran Farzan. Except for one. Ronan, who discovered an unexpected person, narrowed his eyes.

‘When did that bastard become so close again?’

Russell was talking eagerly, even gesturing. A woman named Riley sat between them. Ronan clicked his tongue in a pitiful way. Now, what are you going to do with the mock party?

He quietly emptied his remaining glass and returned to his lodgings. I was thinking about how to release the pouting Nabi Rose, but it turned out well. It’ll be a little better if you tell me that you’ve found a devoted follower.

Ronan, who had just washed himself, lay down on the bed. Maybe it was because of the long climb, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I felt sleepy.

****

“Mmmmm…”

Ronan opened his eyes. My body was cold because I had slept with the blanket kicked off all night. He sighed as he raised his upper body and looked around.

“…you woke up too early.”

The dark blue night sky was shining through the window. Judging from the faintly bright colors, it seemed that the sun would rise soon. Schlieffen, who shared the same room, was fast asleep in his own bed.

Ronan left the dorm with quiet steps. It was my intention to light a cigarette and go in. The moment I opened the door, the air became cold. As he rummaged through his pockets, he spat out a curse.

“Shit.”

There were no pipes. It was only then that the memory of having the pipe taken away by Nabi Rose came to mind. At that time, I just passed it on because I was in a bad mood, but if you think about it, there was no such absurdity. Ronan, who had been moaning as he kicked a stone, finally let go of his anger when he remembered her naked body.

“…because there was no damage.”

Ronan was motionless with both hands in his pockets. I woke up anyway, so I thought it wouldn’t be bad to go for a walk. As I took a deep breath, the morning air swept through my lungs. Ronan muttered softly as he looked around the deserted streets.

“It was long.”

It was finally today. After this test is over, I will step on that well-known sacred ground. The secret about the demon would be revealed in a few hours. Ronan wandered aimlessly, remembering the conversation he had with Zaifa the night before. It was the car he had been wandering about for about ten minutes.

“…hmm?”

Ronan sniffed. The wind that brushed the bridge of his nose mixed with a foreign scent. Ronan turned his head in the direction the wind was blowing. Soon the wind blew again. His brow furrowed.

“…the smell of blood.”

There was no way I could be confused. It was the familiar scent of fresh blood. Ronan changed direction and moved quickly. A feeling that something was going wrong stabbed him in his temples.

‘What the hell am I talking about again.’

Ronan, who had been walking faster and faster, eventually started running. His footsteps echoed across the silent street. The smell of blood was getting thicker and thicker.

“Fuck…fuck.”

Ronan finally stopped and raised his head. A log cabin serving as a food storage facility was erected in a lump. The scent of blood was wafting from inside. It would be nice if you were grooming a wild animal you just caught.

Taking a deep breath, Ronan pushed on the wooden door. The unbarred door opened with a creak. The pooled bloody smell covered Ronan like fog. The bag sacks stacked up to the ceiling and the side door leading to the meat warehouse with shelves full of ingredients caught my eye.

It was the car Ronan was about to step into. Something touched his feet. Ronan’s face hardened as he lowered his gaze. A hooded head was rolling on the floor.

“Russell.”

Ronan reflexively opened his mouth. It was unmistakably Russell. Beside the head, a headless body was strewn about like garbage. My heart started beating fast as if it would explode.

Judging from the distorted shape of her face, she must have suffered excruciating pain before dying. His body, lying in a pool of blood, had no hands attached to it.

The corpse wasn’t just Russell. A total of six corpses were scattered all over the warehouse. The head and both wrists were neatly separated from the body. Among them was a female knight named Riley who had been talking to Ronan last night. A sharp dagger had gone through her mouth and out the back of her head.

“This…what the heck…”

The scars left on the cut surface were familiar. Kiik- At that time, the side door in the warehouse opened and a young man walked out. Her lips were constantly munching, wondering what she was eating, and the corners of her mouth were all covered in blood. His white hair was wet with blood and stained a little red. Recognizing the identity of the young man was not difficult.

“hmm?”

The young man who noticed Ronan belatedly turned his head. The eyes of the two met. Having swallowed the chew, he said in a plaintive tone.

“What are you?”

“이 씨발새끼가.”

The presence or absence of sparkling mana did not matter. Anger close to instinct moved his body. The moment Ronan pulled the hilt of the sword, the devil’s eyes widened.